Clarington grapples with winter weather

Local road salt supply exhausted and salt now being shipped in

Clarington snow plow

Ryan Pfeiffer / Metroland

CLARINGTON -- A Municipality of Clarington plow drove through the intersection of Trulls and Nash roads. Plows have been dealing with a busier winter than last year and have already gone through their salt stores for the season. February 5, 2014.

Snow storm

Sabrina Byrnes / Metroland

AJAX -- Snow plows were out as another storm hit the Region Wednesday morning. It was one of many storms that hit the region this winter. February 5, 2014

CLARINGTON -- Clarington snowplows have been busier over December and January this year than they were all of last winter, and the worst could be yet to come.

“February (snowfall) over the last five years has been terrible,” said Fred Horvath, Clarington director of operations.

On Wednesday, Feb. 5, Durham Region was being blanketed with 10 to 15 centimetres of snow. High winds and blowing snow were also expected. Residents are asked to slow their driving to manage the road and weather conditions.

In Clarington, snow removal from the three downtown business areas was scheduled to take place after the storm.

“All the (business improvement areas) have been very patient,” said Councillor Ron Hooper.

Clarington’s supply of road salt has been used up and salt is now being shipped in from Windsor, likely at a higher price than was budgeted for winter maintenance.

Most tree limbs and branches that were knocked down during the December ice storm are still frozen to the ground. When they thaw, Mr. Horvath said his department will be working with the Region to arrange pickup.

“We’re still suffering from the ice storm,” said Mr. Horvath. “Every time we get a melt it spreads.”

Operations staff have dealt with dark streets during the blackouts, cars parked on the road, downed trees and several freeze-thaw cycles. However, while this has been a difficult winter, it not as difficult as that which Clarington dealt with in 2008/2009, according to Mr. Horvath.

To help snowplow drivers keep streets clear, residents are asked not to park on the roads overnight. Those who do can be ticketed through the Clarington bylaw office. On Sunday, Feb. 2, 55 vehicles were ticketed.

Clarington council waived the fee for residents who couldn’t clear their sidewalk during the December ice storm and were hit with a snow clearing bill. However on Monday, Feb. 3 council decided not to extend the sidewalk clearing deadline from 24 to 48 hours in the case of extreme weather. The municipality is liable if someone slips and falls on an icy sidewalk and the sidewalk clearing bylaw is used to reduce the risk of falls.